Pandemic nights often bring dreams filled with Parisian streets scenes. I long to be back in the spot that has offered me so many joyful journeys. Gratefully, I can taste the place. This Apple Lady’s Apple Cake is one of my longtime favorites. It’s a recipe from an apple vendor at an open-air market located in the shadow of the…
Cookbooks
This salad recipe is adapted from “Ancient Grains for Modern Families” by Maria Speck (Ten Speed, $29.99). Speck used marinated dried figs in the salad, which are delicious. But I changed my mind about the figs when I had a luscious quinoa salad at Marche Moderne restaurant (Newport Coast). It was adorned with candied kumquats. Reset. I love the sweet-tart…
Make or buy a pumpkin pie if you must, but these layered creamy-crispy squares will most-likely be the pumpkin stars. Make Ahead: Can be prepared 2 days in advance and refrigerated. Happy Holidays to all the cooks and all their helpers. Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble SquaresYield: 20-24 squaresCrust and Streusel:1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour3/4 cup golden brown sugar1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup…
Chicken with Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Rice: My niece Holly Sue is a chef. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, many years ago she left a restaurant career to raise her family, but later started a highly successful at-home personal chef business when her boys were approaching middle school age. Her clients pick up made-from-scratch family dinners twice…
I love red-fleshed fruits and vegetables! Red Times Three Salad showcases three of my favorites: blood oranges, red beets and pomegranate seeds. Blood orange’s sweet-sour flavor profile has a subtle note of raspberry. It pairs beautifully with the earthy edge of beets. I use Melissa’s ready-to-eat peeled and steamed baby beets – they are so convenient and beat the heck…
The soft flesh of a ripe mango is an alluring blend of pineapple and tree-ripened peach, but it’s sweeter and more exotic. The scent is enticing too, a blend of pine forest and tropical jungle. No wonder it is the most widely consumed fruit in the world. Roast pork and fresh mango are a luscious combination. In this dish, pork…
Thank you, Carole Bloom. These Chocolate-Caramel Shortbread Bars are one of my all-time favorite bar cookies. The recipe is from Bloom’s book, “Caramels” (Gibbs Smith, $24.99). These delicate, very full-flavored bars bring together all my favorites. The dark brown sugar used to make the shortbread provides a richer taste than traditional shortbread that is made with white sugar. But it…
Alexandra Stafford’s book, “Bread Toast Crumbs” (Clarkson Potter, $30) could inspire even the most reluctant baker to spend the day making bread. But my summertime kitchen is hot and the my patio beckons. I searched the book for a luscious dish that could show off store-bought loaves, a dish that didn’t require firing up the oven. Near the end of…